I. Introduction: State the problem area, policy concern, or significance of the topic you have chosen to study. Why is it important to comparative urban politics? We might say, for example, that cities globally in the current recession have resorted increasingly to economic development to stimulate job growth and investment. We might state the concern that some scholars have expressed about the possible exclusionary tendencies this desperation might create. We might also state briefly what importance the participation of local residents has. State the hypothesis at the end of this section. II. Literature Review: Provide a 1-3 page review of what scholars know currently about your topic. What do their primary findings say about what you should expect to find given your independent variable? III. Methods: This brief section will tell the reader how you chose to measure both your independent and dependent variables. You should also explain what cities you studied and why you chose them. If you narrowed your topic to a specific time period, this should also be provided and explained. You should also explain what main sources you used for your research and why. For example, we might explain that the study reviewed key relevant studies conducted by scholars on the role of economic health on participation by city residents in decision making. If there is a specific data base that we used, we need to say that here. IV. Findings: Here you will summarize what it is that you think you found. This section should be detailed and will probably comprise 3-5 pages. V. Analysis: This is the fun part! Why do you think you found what you did? Did all cases adhere to your expectations (hypothesis)? If some did not, why didn’t they? What role did the independent variable play? Were any spurious variables present? What impact do you think they had? Again, this section will likely take 3-5 pages. VI. Conclusions: This is a final summing-up section. Restate the hypothesis and why you had thought it important. Restate very briefly what you studied and what you found. In the final analysis, was your hypothesis correct, incorrect, or maybe something in between (which is usually the case) and why? Never overstate your findings. Leave yourself room to explain what weaknesses your study may have had. You might mention any problems with your particular cases and how representative they might be. Maybe a different choice would have produced different findings. What significance do your findings have? You might suggest here what research might next be undertaken to build upon your work.